Wrong Number
by Sisaat
Summary: (modern AU, will be Jack/Hiccup if continued) Jack is probably doing more than he should be willing to do for a stranger who accidentally called him, but he blames it on boredom.
1. Fateful Mistake

_I figured I should post some of my other Hijack fics while I procrastinate on writing the next chapter of Road Trip To Nowhere._

* * *

Jack couldn't have been more grateful for the call that distracted him from his mind-numbing attempt to find something interesting on TV. He answered it with the desperate eagerness of someone who was utterly bored.

"Hello?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end. Jack hoped he wasn't about to listen to one of those recorded message from carpet-cleaning services. He had been hoping for something more interesting than cooking shows and police drama.

"Uh… this isn't Snotlout, is it?" a nasally, hesitant voice asked. Jack sighed.

"No. There's no Snotlout here. You got the wrong number."

"Oh no," the stranger said, panic creeping into his voice. "Oh, no, no, no, no."

"Hey, are you alright?"

"Oh, yes. I'm great. I'm stuck in a gas station, I used all of my change to call the wrong number and I'm gonna have to walk home with my knees bleeding."

"Woah, are you hurt?"

"No, just some scrapes. But my bike went under a car and I broke my cell phone when I fell. I was trying to call my cousin so he would pick me up."

"Oh. I see." Jack took one glance at the TV screen where some melodrama was going on. "I can come pick you up," he offered eagerly. He was bored and intrigued and the slight desperation hiding under the other's casual tone enticed him to go and help him.

"A-are you sure? I don't want to bother you more than I already have."

"No, no, it's fine. Just tell me where you are."

* * *

The gas station was probably farther than he should be willing to go for a stranger on a lazy Sunday afternoon, but he didn't protest. It wasn't like he had anything else to do and he couldn't just abandon the guy to his fate, could he?

He pulled in at the station and looked around for a "scrawny brown-haired guy with lots of freckles", as he had described himself. As it turned out, he didn't really need a description. He found him sitting next to a trashed bike, picking at the scrapes on his knees. Jack parked the car next to him and got out.

"Hey, uh, Hiccup, right?"

The man raised his head, looking up at him with striking green eyes. A relieved smile stretched his lips. "You're the one I spoke to on the phone. You really came!"

"Of course I came. I said so, didn't I? Hang on a moment." Jack opened the passenger door and pulled out a first aid kit from underneath. He sat down in front of Hiccup and started to rummage through it. "Let's take care of those first, alright?"

"Hey, you don't have to. I can take care of them when I get home."

"Out of the question. You got dirt in those." He didn't listened to the other man's further protest, instead tearing off the wrapping of an antiseptic wipe. "That might sting a bit."

"Why are you doing this anyway?" Hiccup asked when Jack started rubbing at the torn skin.

"Because they need to be cleaned."

"I don't mean that. At least, not only that. If you wanted to help, you could have just called my cousin for me."

He had been pretty sure that wasn't what Hiccup was referring to, but he didn't know himself the answer to his real question. He didn't have to come all the way here to help a stranger get home. But something about Hiccup's panicked voice had made him want to see the man it belonged to. He had not expected him to be this handsome, but he certainly wasn't complaining.

"Because I was bored and there was nothing on TV."

"Oh."

Hiccup's disappointment made Jack regret not telling him the truth. He distracted himself by placing adhesive bandages over the man's knees. A quick inspection turned up more scrapes on the side of his left leg and on his elbow, but those weren't as bad. He cleaned them anyway.

"Alright. We're all done. You can get in the car, now."

"Thanks."

* * *

The drive to Hiccup's apartment building was uneventful. He lived in the small, nearby town of Berk. Jack had never been here before, so he asked about the place.

"It's pretty uneventful. Entertainment here is mostly about sports. Everyone's crazy about our teams. The Vikings, the Dragons, the Hooligans… and whatever our basketball team is called."

"Oh. Do you do sports?"

"I can't even ride a bicycle without almost killing myself," Hiccup said in self-derision.

"Accidents happens. Anything else to be done here?" Jack asked, eager to change the subject.

"There's the… yak festival, later this summer. With all of its yak themed stuff."

"That sounds like fun."

Hiccup gave him a disbelieving look, one eyebrow disappearing beneath his dark bangs. "It does?"

"Yeah. I love festivals. They're full of fun stuff."

"I swear it's only boring stuff. But I guess you could come and see for yourself," Hiccup said. He pointed ahead. "This is where I live."

Jack parked the car and got out with Hiccup so he could unstrap the bike from the car roof. The young man shifted in place awkwardly. Jack hoped he hadn't been so annoying that Hiccup couldn't wait to get away from him. He hurried to get the bike down and hand it back to its owner.

"There you go!"

"Thanks, er, I didn't ask what your name was?"

"Jack."

"Thanks, Jack. Is there… is there anything I can do in return?"

Jack bit his lip. He didn't want to ask for any kind of payment, but this was his chance to, maybe, get to see the other again. He gathered his courage and gave Hiccup a casual smile.

"You could take me to that yak festival."

* * *

_I may write a second chapter for this later._


	2. Near-Date Experience

_This is being continued, like I said I might._

**Disclaimer: I do not own How to Train your Dragon or Rise of the Guardians**

* * *

Hiccup couldn't believe he was really doing this. His finger hovered over the numbers without daring to call. It had to be a prank. If he called that number, he would find himself talking to an old lady with a hearing problem who wouldn't understand him when he told her that he had the wrong number. Because there was no way Jack was really expecting him to call him about that stupid Yak Festival, right?

Or even worse, it was the right number but he had been joking about the festival and would laugh at him when Hiccup explained why he was calling. He would die of embarrassment if he had gotten this wrong. But was he willing to miss that chance? Embarrassment had never killed him before. He took a deep breath an dialed the number.

With each ring that wasn't followed by the voice of the young man he had met almost a month ago, his nervousness increased, as did his certainty that the number was fake. He was about to give up when an out of breath voice was suddenly heard on the other end of the line.

"Hello?"

He didn't recognize the voice. Was it only because of how breathless the other was, or was it not Jack? Did he even clearly remember Jack's voice? It was deep, he recalled. Seeing the man, so thin and youthful, had surprised him after hearing that voice. But he could not be sure if the voice that just greeted him was deep or not. It was hard to tell. It was probably not Jack. He had been an idiot to think the man had given him his number.

"Uh, sorry. I think I got the wrong number."

A chuckle, more familiar this time, answered him. "Again? Are you making a habit of this?"

Hiccup smiled in relief and surprise. So it was Jack after all. "You recognized me?"

"You got a pretty distinctive voice."

Hiccup didn't know if he meant this in a good or bad way. "I, uh, guess I do." He wasn't sure how he should breach the subject of why he was calling. He cleared his throat awkwardly.

"So, Hiccup," Jack said before he could say anything more. "Please tell me you're calling to tell me it's that Yak Festival you promised to take me to. I've been waiting eagerly."

Hiccup couldn't tell if he was teasing or not, but he had come this far, he couldn't just pretend it wasn't why he called. And maybe he was serious and actually thought that the Yak Festival sounded amazing. If so, he would be disappointed. "It starts this Friday, actually."

"Great! Where do you want me to meet you?"

Jack's enthusiasm brought a baffled smile to his lips.

* * *

Hiccup hadn't been to Berk's Yak Festival since he had been young enough for his dad to drag him here every year. It was a little stunning that he was going there of his own free will. But he owed it to Jack. After the young man came to help him even though he had no reason to, the least he could do was take him to a festival. Supposing he really was coming.

Hiccup still half believed it was a joke. That he would wait there and Jack would never show up. Not because he had any reason to believe that Jack would do something like that. Simply because it was hard to wrap his brain around this. A man like Jack was someone he would expect going out to clubs and other popular places, not to a lame festival in a small village. And certainly not with someone like him.

He rode his new bike to the festival's parking lot, where he had told Jack to meet him. He hoped his instructions had been clear enough. He wouldn't want him to get lost in the narrow streets of Berk and resent him. Hiccup jumped off his bike next to the rack, locked it in place and took a look around. Quite a few cars filled the lot, with people milling around, mostly families with younger children.

Finally, he spotted him. Leaning against his car near the festival's entrance, his messy, shockingly white hair ruffled by the wind, Jack watched the people walk by with a smile on his lips. Hiccup had forgotten just how ridiculously pretty the man was. He wore a faded blue T-shirt and frayed jeans, fitting for the place, but he couldn't even begin to blend in with the shaggy townspeople surrounding them. Jack's blue eyes caught his, his smile widened and Hiccup's knees weakened.

It was easy to fall for someone like Jack—helpful, attractive and with a smile to die for—but Hiccup would probably not be so pathetically crushing on the man he had only met once if not for the circumstances of said meeting. Jack had gone out of his way to help him when Hiccup hadn't even been sure he would get help from the one he had actually been trying to reach, and that was something he was very grateful for. Even if Jack said he only did it because he was bored.

The memory of the white-haired man gently cleaning his scrapes was one that often returned to him in the past month and brought a sense of longing with it that had Hiccup sighing like a schoolgirl. Those caring eyes and that soothing voice put a balm on his disastrous day and haunted him for the following weeks.

Jack pushed himself off the car and crossed the space to join him. Hiccup only now noticed that he had been staring at Jack with a helpless smile on his face for way too long. Great. He must look like a total goof. Or love-sick, which was even worse, because even though he could acknowledge his interest, he knew better than to think he had a chance. Not unless he really managed to impress Jack. And the Yak Festival was sure to do the opposite of that.

"Hiccup! So nice to see you again. I was starting to think I wouldn't."

"I, uh, it's nice to see you too. But I still don't know why you wanted to come here, of all place."

Jack sent him a radiant smile. It made Hiccup's heart beat faster. His mouth went dry. "Because I've never been to a Yak Festival. I want to see it!"

"You're going to regret this."

"You're underestimating my ability to have fun. Can we go in, now?"

Hiccup sighed. Jack was obviously not going to believe that the Yak Festival was nothing fun until he had seen it for himself. Very well. Hiccup nodded and started toward the entrance. Jack followed, an eager smile on his lips and his eyes lit up with a childish spark. Anxiety clawed at Hiccup's chest. He didn't want Jack to be disappointed. He should have worked up the nerve to invite Jack to a thank you dinner before today.

But now, he hadn't seen the man in a month and he was going to show him around the some booths selling tacky yak-themed objects. And he didn't even want to think about the events. That was the worst kind of first date he could think off. And it was what Hiccup liked to think of this as, even if it wasn't officially a date. It was still an outing with someone he was interested in, with the goal being to get a second date. Maybe even a real one. But he would settle for a "I'm sorry this wasn't what you expected, please let me treat you to dinner to make up for it" kind of thing.

They walked under the banner that marked the entrance to the festival's ground. From there, they had a good view of all of the miserable installations. A circle of wooden booths with various merchandise, a stage, a few fenced areas, most of them, containing a handful of lazy yaks... Hiccup cringed. He hadn't remembered how shoddy everything looked. Like everyone had built their own booth in their backyard. Which, of course, they had. This morning, in some cases.

"Ta-da," he said without much enthusiasm, holding his arms out on either sides.

Jack's gaze traveled across the whole area, slowly taking in everything. Hiccup fidgeted, awaiting a verdict. Jack's eyes stopped on a nearby booth. They widened. Hiccup's heart fell. "Are those... yak hats?"

"I'm afraid so."

Jack's grin could have blinded the sun. "I have to try one!"

* * *

_This chapter was originally going to cover the entire Yak Festival, but Hiccup was insisting on being introspective and I was taking forever, so it stops here instead. I'll try not to take a month to update this, but I'll be working on Road Trip to Nowhere next, so it might take a little while._


	3. A Very Yak Day

_Sorry this took so long. I kept writing other stuff, or just getting generally distracted. But at least this chapter is longer than the previous two (which isn't saying much)_

* * *

The hats were even better from up close. Made from some wooly thing that was probably yak hair and with what appeared to be real horns on the sides, they mimicked the top of a yak's head. They came in white, black and various shades of browns, each unique and obviously handmade. Jack immediately asked if he could try one.

"How do I look?"

Hiccup smiled and let out a little laugh. Jack was glad to hear it. He knew that coming here wasn't really Hiccup's idea of a good time, but he really hoped they could have some fun. Hiccup cocked his head, stroked his chin and seemed to give that some thought.

"I don't think that's really your color," he said at last. "Try this one instead."

He pointed out a pale brown and cream one at him. Jack shrugged, gave his back to the old lady who ran the booth and asked for the one Hiccup had suggested. Placing it on his head, he looked at himself in the small round mirror on the table. He had to admit it suited him a lot better. If he tucked all of the white strands of his hair into it, he could even fit with the other people milling about the festival. They had been getting odd looks and, while he was used to it, he didn't want Hiccup to be asked awkward question about who was that weirdo who dragged him to the festival.

"Your turn now."

"What? Oh no. No, I'm not putting one of those on my head."

"Come on, Hiccup! Put yourself in the Yak Festival's spirit!"

The freckled boy sighed dramatically in defeat and rolled his eyes before selecting a reddish brown yak hat and shoving it on his head. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked back at Jack with a raised eyebrow. "Are you happy now?"

Jack stifled a laugh but couldn't keep the smile from his face. The freckled brunette was cute in the yak hat. "Yes. Very. Let's buy them."

"I don't want to _buy _a yak hat."

"That's fine. I'll buy it for you."

"I… that's… not what I meant. Don't look at me like that! Fine, fine, I'll wear the hat."

Jack's smile returned. He happily paid for both hats and dragged Hiccup away before he could change his mind. But he felt a little bad, for forcing Hiccup to go along with this, and everything else. He gave him a sheepish smile. Hiccup scowled a bit less in answer.

"Listen, sorry for dragging you here and all. How about I treat you to dinner some time to make up for it?"

"What? No! I mean yes, I'd like us to have dinner. I mean, there's nothing to make up for, you don't have to treat me, but I'd love to have dinner with you if you still want dinner if it's not to make up for taking me here."

He snapped his mouth shut after his rambling answer and Jack had to take a moment to untangle it in order to realize that Hiccup said he wanted to go out with him for dinner just for the sake of having dinner with him. This made him strangely happy. But his long silence was making Hiccup nervous, judging from the way he shifted in place and straightened his hat repeatedly.

"Great! I know just the place. But we can talk about that later. Right now, I want to take a look at those shirts over there."

Hiccup followed him with a little chuckle. At least he seemed to be enjoying himself now. It had to be the hat. It was infusing him with yak spirit. Jack grinned and led the way to the next booth. A pair of twins with long, pale blond hair already perused the goods. It took Jack a moment to realize that only one of them was a girl. He blamed his confusion on the fact that she was trying to force a flower-patterned shirt onto her brother.

"Don't _you _want it? I think you'd look so _pretty _in it."

"Ruff, Tuff," Hiccup interrupted what looked like a brewing fight. "I wasn't expecting to see you two here."

"Of course we're here," the sister—Jack didn't know if she was Ruff or Tuff—said. "We're doing a show later."

"Oh no… I mean, oh no! How could I forget that!"

"Yeah. It's gonna be awesome," the brother added.

Jack cleared his throat. "Show?"

"Oh, uh, Jack. This is Ruffnut, and this is Tuffnut. They have a band appropriately called the Screaming Yaks. It's just the two of them."

"Wait," Ruffnut said, "are you, like, the Jack Hiccup told us about? The one he's totally in l—"

Hiccup cleared his throat loudly. "Don't you two have stuff to do before the show?"

"Not really," Tuffnut answered, but Hiccup all but shoved them away. Tuffnut protested, but his sister just snickered and led him away. She threw a smirk back at the two of them. Jack raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"What was that about?"

"It's nothing. Those two are… not the sharpest tools in the shed."

"You've been telling people about me?"

"Well, you know. We met in… kind of unusual circumstances. It was a story worth telling," Hiccup said, running a hand through his hair under the hat and throwing him several nervous glances as he spoke. "It's not like it's everyday that someone you don't know decide to help you for no reason. I swear I wasn't saying anything bad about you."

Jack shrugged and dropped the subject. Even though Hiccup was acting pretty weird, Jack didn't think he had given him any reasons to speak badly of him. Or at least he hoped he hadn't. But there was no point in worrying about that at the moment. Better enjoy the moment. He had some shirts to look at.

"Are those made of yak… fur? Wool? How do you call it?"

"Yak fiber," Hiccup explained before the man who owed the booth could.

The shirts ranged from tacky patterned sweaters to finer, more elegant clothes. Jack bit his lip, hesitating between a white and brown knitted sweater with zigzag patterns and a nice dark blue turtleneck that he could actually see himself wearing outside of the festival. He settled on the former. He was at a yak festival, not a shopping mall. The vendor allowed him to try it on. He placed his hat on the table, pulled the sweater over his head, replace the hat on top of his snowy white hair and did a little spin.

"How do I look."

"Increasingly yaky," Hiccup drawled, but couldn't keep the smile out of his voice.

"I'll take it!" Jack said enthusiastically, taking out his wallet.

"And I'm gonna buy this one," Hiccup said, pointing at the blue turtleneck. Jack looked back at him in surprise. "Take it as a thank you, for the help. And the hat."

He added the last part with a small smile and a tap to his yak hat. Jack smiled back, but it turned into a wince when the vendor told them the price for the blue shirt. It was quite a bit more expensive than the other one. But Hiccup paid it without a blink. The vendor placed it in a bag and Hiccup handed it to him. Jack tentatively dipped his hand into the bag to touch the surprisingly soft fabric.

"You know you didn't have to do that, right?"

"I know. But I wanted to." He held his gaze for several long seconds before looking away. "Look, those booths over there sells terrible souvenirs that I'm sure you'd like."

Jack smiled fondly as Hiccup hastily moved on to the souvenir booths. He followed him to take a look at the impressive amount of yak-themed stuff the villagers could come up with. Towels, spoons, salt and pepper shakers, calendars, bathroom rugs, and more things Jack would never have thought to put a yak on. He ended up buying a yak snow globe and a "I heart yaks" mug.

"So," he asked Hiccup, "why all the yaks? They're not even native to the area, right?"

"The people of Berk… fancy themselves vikings," Hiccup answered with an embarrassed chuckle. "I'm not sure how that translated to a Yak Festival, but here we are."

"Vikings, eh?"

"Yeah… weird, I know. Oh, look, there's Astrid," he said, rushing over to a booth where a girl their age with braided blond hair sold some drinks. "Hey, Astrid. This is Jack."

Recognition flashed in her eyes. "Oh, so _you're _Jack. Nice to meet you," she said, offering him a hand to shake. Jack extended his and she crushed it in her grip.

"The pleasure is mine," he said, his smile a little strained from the pain. Hiccup sent him a commiserating look.

"So, what are you selling?"

"Yaknog," she replied with enthusiasm. "It's my own creation. You two try it!" She pushed two mugs their way.

"Thanks, Astrid," Hiccup said, taking one of the mugs.

Jack picked the other one and looked at the gooey content. It wasn't very appetizing, but he shouldn't judge before trying it. He closed his eyes, ignored the smell, and took a large gulp. He couldn't swallow it. The taste brought tears to his eyes. He sent Hiccup a panicked look. The other boy returned the look, wide-eyed and struggling to swallow. The brunette gagged, but he succeeded with a full-body shudder.

"Very nice, Astrid," he choked. "But we got to get going."

He grabbed Jack's arm and dragged him behind some bushes, out of the girl's view. Jack spit out the drink as soon as they were out of sight, but the awful taste remained in his mouth. "This is–what–uuuugh."

"I don't know and and I don't–sugar!"

"What?"

Hiccup took his arm again instead of answering and dragged him to a booth covered in sugary treats. The big mustachioed man who ran it took one look at them, poured them each a cup of something yellow and shoved it their way. Jack was torn between mistrust after his previous experience, and the desperate need to wash away the taste. He took the cup and downed it, the sweet taste of lemonade only registering when the cup was almost empty.

"Thanks," he rasped out.

"Yaknog, eh?"

"Thank you, Gobber, you're a life saver."

"You still have to pay for them."

Hiccup grumbled, but they paid for the lemonades. The freckled boy looked back at Jack and his eyes widened. He cleared his throat loudly."You got, er—"

He gestured in the general direction of his mouth without actually looking at him. Jack raised his fingers to the corner of his mouth and found a trail of yaknog dripping down his chin. He wiped the white goo off with an embarrassed laugh. He looked back at Astrid's booth, where some poor guy was about to have a taste of her terrible creation. He watched with interest. It was a lot more fun when it wasn't him.

"Maybe we should, you know, warn him," Hiccup suggested.

"Nah. It's a learning experience."

"And good business," Gobber added.

Jack snickered as he watched the man give Astrid some panicked thumbs up before rushing behind the bush to spit out the nasty stuff. Behind them, Gobber poured another cup of lemonade. Astrid was looking rather pleased with the success her new drink was having. Jack bit his knuckle to keep from laughing out loud. The man rushed at Gobber's booth and grabbed the lemonade. With a shake of his head, Hiccup took Jack's arm and pulled him away.

"Well, that was interesting," he drawled.

"So, what other wonders does the Yak Festival hides?" Jack asked.

"Hopefully nothing quite like the yaknog."

They shared a laugh. Their tour of the festival after that was a lot less eventful, but Jack did get to pet a yak and Hiccup even took a photo for him. They tried some local specialties, including quite a few varieties of mead, and played a few unusual games of skills. Jack was pleased to see Hiccup laughing with him, whatever reluctance he had about coming here apparently forgotten. He had a nice laugh, Jack decided.

"Hiccup! You really came. I didn't believe it until I saw it."

"Oh, hey Fishlegs."

"And you must be Jack. It's a pleasure to meet you at last. Hiccup talked about you so much!"

"Really?"

Hiccup's laugh sounded a little forced. "Not _that_ much."

"Well, you kept—"

"So, Fishlegs," Hiccup interrupted, "how are you liking the festival so far? Found anything interesting?"

"Oh yes! I found those wonderful slippers, look!" He held out a pair of big, yak-shaped slippers. "But I was heading out. Meatlug will be getting lonely and I would rather miss the Screaming Yaks's show."

"That… actually sounds like a good idea."

"What?" Jack protested. "But I want to hear them." They both sent him look that said he clearly didn't know what he was talking about. "I mean, I won't force you to stay with me, if you want to go."

"No, no, no, it's fine! I'll stay. I, uh, haven't heard them in a while. Maybe I'll be surprised."

"I wish you two good luck, then. And have a nice evening. Jack, it was nice meeting you."

"Yeah, uh, good evening," Jack said.

"So," Hiccup said when his friend had left them, "we've pretty much seen everything. Do you want to head for the bar area and sit down for a drink before the show start? I think the twins's music might be more enjoyable when slightly drunk."

"I… probably shouldn't. I need to drive back home and I've already been tasting all that mead…"

"You don't have to. Drive home, I mean. You could stay here. Well, not here on the festival ground, but, uh, I got a nice couch if you want to stay the night, but, I mean, I get it if you don't want to it's just that if you do—"

Jack chuckled. "You're already inviting me for the night? Wow, Hiccup, that's fast," he joked. The way Hiccup's eyes widened and his cheeks reddened told him the joke might not have been such a good idea. Jack cleared his throat awkwardly. "I mean, sure we can go have a drink if I get to crash on your couch."

"Oh, thanks. I mean, great! Let's go."

Hiccup led the way to the crowded area, where several tables had been set and the festival-goers sat around, many obviously past their first few drinks. A burly youth stumbled to them. "Hey, Hiccup, have you seen Astrid? I need to," he paused to kiss his biceps, "go woo her with my manly charm."

Hiccup first shuddered, then smiled. "Yes, Snotlout, I saw her. She's at the yaknog booth. You should really try it! But careful, it's not for the weak of heart."

"Oh yeah? Yaknog, here I come."

He strutted away confidently. Jack laughed, impressed. Hiccup smirked. "I only wished I could see his face."

They settled at one of the few empty tables with some sort of beer with a name Jack couldn't pronounce and they leaned back to enjoy each other's company in comfortable silence. The day was ending and Jack was grateful for the cool air the evening brought with it. He closed his eyes and thought back on the day they just had.

"Thank you," he said. "I had a really enjoyable time with you today."

Hiccup didn't answer immediately, raising his glass to his lips to take a gulp first, and when he did, he didn't look up at Jack. "I should be the one thanking you. And… I've had a really good time today. But don't tell my dad! He's been trying to drag me here every years."

"I promise," Jack said with a laugh. "It will be our little secret."

They shared a smile and returned to quietly sipping their drinks, both enjoying the moment without the need for words. As the sun was setting, a huge man with the most impressive beard Jack had ever seen—and he had seen impressive beard before—walked on the wooden stage in the center of the festival ground and tapped a microphone.

"Is that thing working?" the man mumbled into it.

"And that would be my dad," Hiccup whispered as the crowd quieted down.

"That's… your dad?" Jack asked in disbelief. He looked from the scrawny young man in front of him to the huge man on the scene and tried to see the resemblance. That wasn't how he would have pictured Hiccup's father, but he could kind of see it.

"Good evening everyone," the man started. "I hope you've been enjoying the festival so far and—"

"Is it our turn yet?" Tuffnut interrupted from somewhere behind the large man.

"Yes, yes, it's your turn now," Hiccup's father sighed. "I present you, the Screaming Yaks!"

The man left the scene to the twins, who wasted no time in getting the show started. Hiccup grinded his teeth at the harsh sounds coming from Tuffnut's guitar. Ruffnut soon joined him, singing off-key about eye stabbing and explosions. Jack had to admire their enthusiasm. Hiccup winced at a particularly grating sound and sighed.

"At least someone convinced them not to bring an actual yak on the scene this time."

"Why? That sounds like a good idea."

Hiccup stared blankly. "Please tell me you don't actually enjoy this."

"Why not? Okay, they're not musical genius, but they're having so much fun!"

"I think you guys would get along. I should probably keep you away from them if I don't want anything destroyed."

Jack only laughed in answer. Hiccup smiled. In the background, Ruffnutt sang of chaos and destruction accompanied by what sounded like a dozen cats being strangled.


End file.
